National Pension Service Buys 8,323 Shares of Waters Corporation $WAT

Key Points

• The National Pension Service increased its stake in Waters Corporation by 8.6% in the first quarter, now owning 105,601 shares valued at approximately $38.92 million.
• Waters Corporation reported earnings of $2.95 per share for the last quarter, surpassing estimates and reflecting an 8.8% revenue growth year-over-year.
• Institutional investors hold 94.01% of Waters Corporation's stock, indicating strong confidence from major stakeholders in the company.

National Pension Service increased its stake in shares of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT - Free Report) by 8.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 105,601 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 8,323 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned 0.18% of Waters worth $38,921,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Waters by 112.9% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,269 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $471,000 after purchasing an additional 673 shares during the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its position in Waters by 29.2% in the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 270 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $100,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC boosted its position in Waters by 95.9% in the fourth quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 1,244 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $462,000 after purchasing an additional 609 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in Waters by 8.3% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 367,916 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $136,490,000 after purchasing an additional 28,141 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Claret Asset Management Corp lifted its holdings in Waters by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Claret Asset Management Corp now owns 1,103 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $409,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.01% of the company's stock.

Waters Price Performance

Shares of Waters stock traded down $1.0250 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $296.6950. 217,790 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 614,052. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market cap of $17.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.74, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.04. The firm's fifty day moving average is $317.22 and its 200-day moving average is $344.47. Waters Corporation has a 52 week low of $275.05 and a 52 week high of $423.56.

Waters (NYSE:WAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.95 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.93 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $771.33 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $745.96 million. Waters had a return on equity of 38.60% and a net margin of 21.71%.The company's revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.63 EPS. Waters has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 3.150-3.250 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 12.950-13.050 EPS. Research analysts expect that Waters Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WAT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Waters from $330.00 to $315.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Waters in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Wall Street Zen cut Waters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $385.00 price objective on Waters and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Scotiabank reaffirmed a "sector outperform" rating and issued a $465.00 price target on shares of Waters in a report on Friday, July 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waters has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $378.73.

Waters Profile

Waters Corporation provides analytical workflow solutions in Asia, the Americas, and Europe. It operates through two segments: Waters and TA. The company designs, manufactures, sells, and services high and ultra-performance liquid chromatography, as well as mass spectrometry (MS) technology systems and support products, including chromatography columns, other consumable products, and post-warranty service plans.